Farid Muttaqin -
Colonial encounters were pivotal in the development of
feminist consciousness and the women’s liberation movement among women and men
in colonized countries like Indonesia. However, the influences of the colonial
encounter on the foundation of feminist consciousness were not developed by
passive recipients of colonial ideas. The initial idea of Islamic education for
Muslim girls showed the crucial influence and contribution of Islam and Muslim
women to early feminist ideas in Indonesia. Islamic education for Muslim girls
was intended to answer the specific problem of women’s lack of empowerment
within family and social life. The idea of education for women’s empowerment
transformed into part of the nationalist movement against colonialism when in
the end it led to the foundation of Muslim women’s organizations that brought
Islam as a critical tool. Foundation of Muslim women’s organizations was a
critical internal effort against patriarchal values and structures in the
Islamic context. I argue that these feminist agendas, such as Islamic education
for girls and Muslim women’s organizations, were integral to the Islamic reform
movement.
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